Station Crew Conducts Science, Robotics Work

Aboard the International Space Station Monday, Expedition 30 Flight Engineer Don Pettit continued his work with the Structure and Liftoff In Combustion Experiment, or SLICE, performing a flame test. SLICE investigates the nature of flames in microgravity, and results from the experiment could lead to improvements in pollution control technology and fuel efficiency.

Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko worked with the Plasma Crystal-3 Plus experiment, an investigation of the behavior of plasma-dust structures in space. Plasma Crystal-3 Plus also can provide understanding of plasmas on Earth such as lightning.

Anton Shkaplerov, also a flight engineer, took photographs of Earth as part of the Russian Uragan Earth-imaging program. Named for the Russian word for hurricane, Uragan is a ground- and space-based system that seeks to document and predict the development of natural and man-made disasters on Earth.

Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin joined Shkaplerov to work on the Bar experiment, which tests detection methods for discovering pressure leaks inside the orbital complex.

Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers performed a session with the Integrated Cardiovascular (ICV) experiment. ICV researches the extent and causes of weakening of the heart during long-duration missions.

Commander Dan Burbank replaced depleted fuel reservoirs in the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA). The MDCA is an insert for the Combustion Integrated Rack that is designed to accommodate different droplet combustion science experiments.

Controllers on the ground – with some help from Pettit and Kuipers – performed more robotics operations following last week’s Robotic Refueling Mission, or RRM, work on the station’s starboard truss. Canadarm2 and its attached Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator, or Dextre, moved back onto the Mobile Base System. From there, Dextre moved to Power Data and Grapple Fixture 2, where it will remain for the time being.

The purpose of the RRM is to demonstrate the ability of robotics to perform the complex work of refueling a satellite which includes opening and closing safety caps and valves, cutting through wires, removing insulation and transferring fuel. The RRM was delivered aboard space shuttle Atlantis during STS-135 last year.